What permits do you need to open a food truck in St Joseph County In?

Mobile Retail Food Establishment Permit (St. Joseph County Department of Health)

St. Joseph County Code 117.02(A)(1) requires a valid permit from the county health officer before a mobile retail food establishment operates in St. Joseph County, with a separate permit for each unit. Under 117.05(D) mobile fees are collected "for any vehicle that can pull to and set up at any location, then prepare/grill food", and all vehicle license plates for each mobile unit must be on file at the Department of Health for the permit to be valid. A mobile unit's plans and specifications are reviewed before it is built (117.03(A)(1)), and an opening inspection precedes the permit. The permit lasts for no more than one calendar year's continuous operation (117.02(F)(2)). As set in the Food Services Unit Fee Schedule in the Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees of the St. Joseph County Code (Ord. 95-19, 12-3-2019; Ord. 149-22, 12-13-2022; Ord. 90-24, 12-10-2024; Ord. 61-25, 10-14-2025), the fee is $100 per unit for pre-packaged items, $200 per unit for dispensing and food preparation in the unit, and $100 per unit for seasonal push carts. Under 117.04(E) a late fee applies for operating before obtaining the permit or for failing to obtain it within one week of the opening inspection approval. Permits are not transferable between locations, operators or owners. The department's phone is (574) 235-9750.

Temporary Food Establishment Permit (St. Joseph County Department of Health)

Under St. Joseph County Code 117.02(J) a temporary food establishment permit lasts no more than a specified number of consecutive days in connection with a single event or location, and is not issued until the temporary food establishment has had a yearly opening inspection by the Department of Health. Under 117.05(A) temporary permit fees are collected not less than one week before the event, copies of a permit are not valid permits, and a new permit is required for each temporary event. As set in the Food Services Unit Fee Schedule in the Appendix: Schedule of Fines and Fees of the St. Joseph County Code (Ord. 95-19, 12-3-2019; Ord. 149-22, 12-13-2022; Ord. 90-24, 12-10-2024; Ord. 61-25, 10-14-2025), the fee is $35 for a one-day event, $75 for a two-to-three-day event, $150 for a four-to-ten-day event and $375 a year for the annual temporary permit, with a replacement permit at $25. Under 117.04(E)(1)(d) a late fee, set at 100% of the permit cost, applies for failing to obtain the permit at least seven days before a scheduled temporary event. Under 117.04(D) an organisation exempt under IC 6-3-2 that sells food at an event held for its own benefit pays no fee. The permit applies throughout St. Joseph County, inside the cities and towns as well.

Certified Food Protection Manager

No state fee — Indiana recognises accredited exam providers rather than certifying anyone itself, and the price is theirs. Every food establishment must have at least one certified manager responsible for all its operating hours, though that person need not be present throughout. Certificates last five years and working on an expired one is prohibited outright, at up to fifty dollars a day. Indiana Code chapter 16-42-5.2 sets no general food handler card — the one statutory food handler certificate is the one section 16-42-5.3-7 requires of home based vendors — and section 16-42-5.2-1 bars a local health department from imposing any registration, certification or licensing requirement on food handlers or certified managers, so a city cannot invent its own. The exemptions are wide — no raw animal cooking, heat-and-serve only, continental breakfast, drinks and ice, low-hazard items, hospitals and certain food pantries.

Shared with other businesses in St Joseph County In

• Food Establishment Plan Review (St. Joseph County Department of Health) — St. Joseph County Department of Health, Plan and Review, Application for Permanent Establishment Food Service, by floor area: under 3,000 sq ft $100; 3,001–30,000 sq ft $180; 30,001–40,000 sq ft $260; 40,001–60,000 sq ft $340; 60,001 sq ft and over $400. These amounts do not include the $85 Administration/Application fee or the annual permit fee. Failure to notify the Department of Health of new construction: a fine equal to the cost of the required plan review, and the plan review must still be submitted., one-time review, approved before construction, conversion or extensive remodelling begins, followed by an opening inspection. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the restaurants page.
• Retail Food Establishment Permit — Indiana Department of Health, Food Protection Division, $300–$1,690 a year, set by the local health department — there is no state fee, annual. Also required for restaurants and coffee shops; what it involves is set out on the coffee shops page.